An empirical evaluation of intelligence-gathering interrogation techniques from the United States Army Field Manual

Applied Cognitive Psychology
(2014)

Kate A Houston, University of Texas at El Paso

Jacqueline R Evans

Christian A Meissner, Iowa State University

Amy B Ross, University of Texas at El Paso

Julie R LaBianca, University of Texas at El Paso

Skye A Woestehoff, University of Texas at El Paso

Steven M Kleinman

Abstract

Despite growing interest in intelligence interviewing, there is little empirical research directly addressing interrogations conducted with the goal of collecting human intelligence (HUMINT). The current study used an experimental intelligence-gathering paradigm to test the efficacy of two clusters of emotion-based interrogation approaches from the US Army Field Manual. Results suggest that both Positive and Negative Emotional Approaches increased the collection of information from both guilty and innocent participants when compared with a Direct Approach. While the emotional approaches produced similar gains in information regardless of valence, positive approaches reduced anxiety, increased perceptions of a fostering atmosphere, and enhanced the relationship between fostering atmosphere and information gain. The implications for the use of these techniques in the intelligence interviewing context are discussed.